Car-brake



'(NoMode'L) J. H. BROWN.

- GARBRAKB. N0. 384,5 '7. Patented June 12, 1888.

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qwwneaoeo N. PETERS, Fholo-Lithographnr, Washington, DC,

I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE JAMES H. BROWN, OF RICHMOND, INDIANA.

CAR-BRAKE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 384,507, dated June12,1838.

Application filed February 16, 1888. Serial No. 264,269. (No model.)

reference being had to the accompanying draw ings, and to letters orfigures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of thisspecification.

My invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in brakesfor cars; and it consists inthe novel construction and arrange ment ofthe parts thereof, which will be more fully hereinafter described, andparticularly pointed out in the claims.

The object of myinvention is to provide a brake for use on cars whichmay be either automatic in its operation, by steam or compressed air, orby hand, as may be desired, the parts thereof being simple and effectivein their construction and operation, strong and durable, easily handled,and readily understood. I attain this object by the constructionillustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like letters ofreference indicate similar parts in the several views, and in whichFigure 1 is a side elevation of a-portion of a car and truck, showing myimproved form of brake applied in connection therewith. Fig. 2 is a topplan view of the truck and brake mechanism. Fig. 3 is a sectional viewof one of the shoe-heads and the controllinglever connected thereto.

W indicates the car, and T the truck. To the under side of the car,about midway between the ends thereof, suitable depending hangers, A,are secured, in which a rockshaft, A, has hearing at its ends and passestransversely under the car. of said shaft A a link, a, is secured, andto the bifurcated end of said link another link, a, is attached, and tothe bifurcated end of the latter link a piston-rod, B, is connected,which has a piston-head, b, on the opposite end thereof, which hasmovement and is mounted To the central portionwithin a cylinder, 13,secured to the under side of the car by suitable bolts. The opposite endof said cylinder B, forward of the piston-head b, has a pipe, Bconnected thereto, which runs to the engine, and may be coupled from carto car, as in the present form of construction. On each side ofthecentral link, a, on the shaft A suitable disks, A, are mounted andsecured at opposite sides, which have rods a a secured near theperiphery thereof, which are operated by the movement of the said diskA, as will be more fully hereinafter described. The rods a extendbackward under the car and are pivotally connected to the upper ends oflevers O, which are fulcrumed to the truck at the points a and at theirlower ends have rods 0 secured thereto, which run to levers C, securedto the shoe-heads G The levers 0 above the fulcrum-point 0 also haverods 0 secured thereto, the opposite ends of which are secured to otherlevers, O acting in connection with and secured to theoppositelysituated shoeheads G Thelevers G", to which the rods (7 and Oare secured, are pivoted at the points 0" on the side beams of the truckand are bolted by means of bolts 0 to the shoeheads 0 The shoe-heads Care formed with recesses and openings 0", c", and 0* for the receptionof the head of the bolt 0 and a portion ofthe lever 0 and of a spring,S, which surrounds the bolt 0 and is seated at one end in a recessformed in the lever 0 The shoe-head is further supported in position bya link-rod, D, which extends downward on an incline from the top of thetruck and is attached to the shoe-head by any preferred means. The rodsconnected to the levers C being drawn thereagainst will force thebrake-shoe against the face of the wheel, and the coil-springS,surrounding the bolt cflwill allow the shoe and shoe-head to givebackward, and the design of the springs is to overcome the sliding ofthe wheels should the brakes take hold of one wheel before the others.The spring can be used between the shoe-head and brake-beam now in use.WVhen this movement takes place, the levers C will move in recesses c inthe rear of the shoe-head. The levers C are further secured inconnection with the truck by means of chains 0, which are fully shownand will be readily understood. On the left of the disks A similar rods,a, are secured, which connect with similarly-arranged brakeoperatingmechanism on the other truck of the car.

The intention of my brake is to prevent applying the brakes too strongand a sliding of the wheels owing to the admission of too great aquantity of steam or air to the brake-cylinder 13, and it is soconstructed that each wheel is acted on independently of the others inorder that should one or two of the independent brakes be disabled thetruck would still be under control of the brake mechanism.

By my improved constructionI entirely dispense with the use o'facontinuous brakebcam, which causes, in manyinstances, disastrousresalts.

The operation of my improved brake is as follows: Steam or compressedair, being forced through the pipe Bflenters the cylinder B,and,pressing against the cylinder-head b,forces the piston-rod B outwardlyfrom said cylinder B and the links a and a over in the direction of theshaft A,turning said shaft and the disks A in the direction of thearrow. The rods a are then drawn toward the shaft A by the rotation ofdisks A. in the direction of the arrow, and draw the lever O forward,which acts upon the rods connected thereto and upon levers C and theshoeheads, as hereinbefore described.

I do not confine myself to the use of either steam or compressed air, orofany other power which may be used in connection with the cylinder B,and if, through accident or otherwise, the pipe connection or cylindershould become impaired, I can readily use the brake by means of thehand-wheels upon the platform of the car connected by means of theordinary lever and chains with the upper ends of the brake-levers C.

It will he understood that the shoe-heads will be provided with hardmetallic shoes or any other cover desired upon that side which engageswith the face of the wheel.

I claim-- 1. In a ca.r-brake, the combination, with the truck,ofindependent brake-supporting levers C fulcrumed on the side sills ofthe truck frame, shoe-heads secured to saidlevers, brakeoperating leversG, pivoted to rigid supports at opposite sides of the frame,connecting-rods secured at their inner ends to the operating-levers atopposite sides of and equidistant from said pivot, and devices forconnecting the upper ends of the operating-levers with the power,substantially as described.

2. In a car-brake, the combination, with the brake-cylinder and itspiston, of a rock-shaft provided centrally with a crank-arm which isconnected with the piston and at its ends with arms or disks, the trucksprovided at the side with rigid supports, brakeoperating levers pivotedon said supports, independentibrakesupporting levers fulcrumed in theside sills of the truckframe and carrying shoe-heads, rods connectingthe ends of the supportinglevers with the operating-levers at theopposite sides of their pivots, and rods connecting the upper ends ofthe operating-levers with the arms or disks on the rock-shaft.

3. In a car-brake, the combination, substantially as described, of thetruck, the brakeoperating lever mounted on fixed pivots, the independentbrake supporting levers fulerumed in the side sills of the truck andeach connected independently with the operatinglever, the shoe-headssecured to their supporting-levers, a spring interposed between eachshoe-head and its supportinglcver, and means for connecting the brakeoperating levers with the power.

4. In a car-brake, the combination, substantially as described, of thebrake-supporting levers provided each with a circular recess, theshoe-heads provided each with a slot, 0, to receive the lever, and arecess, 0', a connecting-bolt passing centrally through the recesses ofthe shoe-head and its lever, a coiled spring encircling said bolt andseated at its opposite ends in said recesses, and means for connectingthe supportinglevers with brakeoperating mechanism.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES H. B tO\VN.

XVitnesses:

L. K. HARRIs, J. W. NEWMAN.

